


Whatever It Takes

by WolfAndHound_Archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Drama, Mpreg, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-05
Updated: 2005-04-07
Packaged: 2018-05-18 09:39:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5923624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfAndHound_Archivist/pseuds/WolfAndHound_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Sirius struggles to return to his own world after falling through the veil, Remus is left alone in his grief. Snape isn't making things any easier, and what when Remus gets news that he never expected?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Other Worlds

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Lassenia, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Wolf and Hound](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Wolf_and_Hound), which was created to make stories posted to the Sirius_Black_and_Remus_Lupin Yahoo! mailing list easier to find. However, even though I still love the fandom, I am no longer active in it and do not have the time to maintain it. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in December 2015. I posted an announcement with Open Doors, but we may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on the [Wolf and Hound collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/wolfandhound/profile).

Chapter One

Sirius didn’t know what he expected to find after going through the Veil in the Department of Mysteries for what felt like the millionth time. Certainly he hadn’t expected to find himself on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, in what looked like the middle of summer. Deciding not to let this opportunity pass, Sirius quickly transformed into Padfoot and set off for Hogwarts, wanting to see if he’d finally made it to the right place.

He had no idea how long it had been since he’d fallen through the Veil for the first time, in his own so-called universe. It may have been months, or even years since that day. All he knew was that instead of dying as he’d expected, Sirius had ended up in the middle of some old witch’s living room in Sussex. He’d found out a few hours later that he had, in fact, traveled to an alternate dimension. Since that day, Sirius had gone through the Veil several times, in an attempt to return to his own universe. Hopefully, he’d finally made it; he was getting tired of having to sneak into the Department of Mysteries. Not only that, but Sirius desperately wanted to know how Harry and Remus were doing.

He missed them both, for entirely different reasons. Harry was like a son to him, and Sirius longed to be there to look out for him, to do all the things that he, as Harry’s guardian was supposed to do for him. He wanted to be there to give the boy ‘the talk’, to offer advice about girls (or boys), to see him graduate from Hogwarts. Sirius wanted to tell Harry how proud he was of him, for standing up to Voldemort, rather than simply giving up, as so many had already done. He wanted Harry to be able to depend on him for anything. Sirius knew that the Weasleys were more than capable of doing all those things, but it simply wasn’t the same. While Molly Weasley may see Harry as another son, she wasn’t his guardian. She couldn’t tell Harry stories about how his father had chased after his mother for years, before finally getting her to date him. She couldn’t tell him about all the times she’d babysat him, or how funny it had been when he’d thrown up all over Remus right before he was about to eat. She also couldn’t tell Harry about the true nature of Sirius and Remus’ relationship.

Sirius and Remus had fallen in love with each other during their years at Hogwarts, and had been dating when Harry’s parents died. After his escape from Azkaban two years ago, Sirius had realized that he still loved Remus, and had hoped that the werewolf might feel the same. It wasn’t guaranteed, after all; werewolves did mate for life, but they hadn’t been mates when Sirius had been sent to Azkaban. After Voldemort’s return, when Dumbledore had sent Sirius to Remus’ home, the two men both admitted that they still had feelings for each other. They were mates before they’d moved to Sirius’ old family home. Sirius had intended to tell Harry about his relationship with the werewolf over the summer, but the incident at the Ministry had made that impossible for the time being.

Thinking of Remus made Sirius feel especially lonely; he felt empty whenever he wasn’t with Remus. He wanted nothing more than to be able to walk through the door of his hated house, take the beautiful amber-eyed werewolf in his arms, carry him up to their room, and shag him senseless. He knew that this would be a truly difficult time for Remus, possibly even harder than it would be for Harry, and he wanted to be there for his love, to soothe all the pain away. Sirius knew that although everyone in the Order understood that the two men had been very close very few actually knew what they’d really meant to each other, and would more than likely spend most of their time comforting his godson. Remus would be alone with his grief, as he had been nearly fifteen years ago.

Sirius was distracted from further thoughts of his love as he approached the castle. He heard several voices coming his way that he couldn’t place, but knew that they were very familiar to him. As Padfoot, he dashed into a few nearby bushes, so he could listen without being seen. From his vantage point, Sirius could see three men approaching the entrance to the castle.

“So, do you guys have any idea why Dumbledore wanted us? I’m supposed to be out shopping for Harry’s birthday!” One of the men said, in a deep, cheerful voice. He was wearing glasses, and had dark black hair that stuck out in every direction.

“Not a clue, my friend. He just said he’d detected some powerfully magical event in the village; maybe he wants us to investigate,” Another man said, as he wrapped his arm around the waist of their third companion. This one also had black hair, but his was long and straight, and was currently pulled into a loose pointy-tale at the base of his neck.

“Guess we’ll just have to wait and see what the man wants, then,” said the third man, in a deep, melodious voice that Sirius recognized instantly. It was like music to his ears; greedily, Sirius took in everything about the man. He was of average height with sandy-brown hair that fell gracefully into his amber eyes; he was also a little pale and thin, but otherwise, he looked perfectly healthy. It was Remus.

Even now, Sirius could feel the pull of the bond he’d developed with Remus during their mating, drawing him towards the other man. However, that bond wasn’t as strong as it normally should have been, for one simple reason. This wasn’t his Remus. It was now perfectly clear to Sirius that he had not yet reached his own world. It was also very obvious that this world had developed differently than his own; the two men with Remus were himself and his best friend, James Potter.

Sirius knew this wouldn’t be easy for him, but if he ever wanted to get back to his own world, he needed to speak with Professor Dumbledore. That meant that he would also need to speak with the three men who were just about to enter the castle. As they reached his hiding place, Sirius padded out from behind his bush. Hearing him bark to get their attention, they turned as one to face him. The Sirius of this world released his hold on his mate’s waist as all three of them pulled their wands out, instantly suspicious of this newcomer.


	2. Remus' pain

Chapter Two

Remus groaned as he rolled over in his bed. He was cold. It was the middle of July, and he was cold. But then, he was used to having Sirius’ warm body next to him in bed. He blinked his eyes as he looked at the alarm clock. It was six in the morning. Remus wasn’t really surprised that he’d had trouble sleeping – it was always hard for him to get to sleep without having Sirius’ arms wrapped around him.

He wondered briefly where Sirius was, before it hit him hard, the way it did every morning: Sirius was dead. As the memories of recent events returned to Remus, he felt a fresh wave of despair wash over him and he sank back into the bed, putting his face in his hands. “Sirius…” he breathed, fighting back the tears that simply saying his name brought on.

The past few weeks had been especially hard on Remus. His mate was gone. Remus had lost the only one he’d ever loved, as well as his best friend. Sirius had been the first person outside of Remus’ parents to accept him for who he was, and now he was gone. It had been painful enough to loose Sirius the first time, when he thought the other man a traitor. Now, Remus felt as if there was a whole in his heart that could never be filled again. It was a struggle just to get out of bed in the mornings, because he knew he'd be facing another day in this wretched house without his beloved. There wasn't a single room in Grimmauld Place that didn't remind Remus of Sirius in some way. He half wished that the Order could find new headquarters, just so that he wouldn't have to see so many things that were a part of Sirius.

Remus groaned again as he finally decided to get out of bed. It was no use just lying there, so he got dressed and headed down to the kitchen, where he knew that Molly would already be cooking breakfast. The moment Remus stepped out onto the dark landing from the room he'd once shared with Sirius, and never would again, he could smell something delicious wafting up the stairs from the kitchen.

"Hello, Remus. How are you feeling this morning?" Molly gently asked, as she bustled around the large room,using her wand to directvarious pans to fry bacon, and making pancakes.

"As well as can be expected, I suppose. I haven'tbeen sick this morning, at least," hereplied with a small sigh, taking the mug of tea the Weasley matriarch offered him.Remus had been sick almost every morning for the past two weeks, and he still couldn't figure out why. That, and the fact that the full moon was only three days away was making things even harder for him.

Molly patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. "The past few weeks have been hard on all of us, Remus," she said with a sad sigh. "We all miss him, you know. I might have fought with Sirius a good bit, but he was my cousin, after all, and I did care about him. But we've all got to be strong, especially for young Harry. Sirius was his godfather after all; the closest thing the poor boy's ever had to a father, and now he's lost him as well."

"I know," Remus choked out. He could feel his eyes burning with tears once again. "But it's hard...Sirius meant something to me, too, and I- I don't-" As Remus struggled for breath, and tried to keep himself from breaking down in front of Molly, he felt her take a seat next to him at the table. She sat there for a few moments, before pulling him into a gentle embrace. This caused Remus to loose it. He started sobbing almost immediately. Remus knew she didn't understand his real reasons for crying, that she probably thought he was simply morning the last of his group of true best friends, his packmates. That much was true, but Molly had no idea that Remus had loved Sirius more than anything, and always would. He didn't care. She didn't need to know all of that. Perhaps one day Remus would tell everyone the truth, but he couldn't stand to do that yet. The pain of loosing Sirius was still too fresh.

After eating a brief breakfast and apoligizing to Molly for breaking down like that, Remus returned to his and Sirius' bedroom - no, hisbedroom,and his alone - and sagged against the wall as soon as his door was shut. Breathing deeply, Remus slid to the floor as he felt his knees give out. He tried but failed to stop his sobs.

"Sirius..." He cried. "You left me! Why! You promised you'd never leave me...you promised," Choking slightly on his sobs, Remus forced himself to take another deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "You can't be dead," he sobbed. "I need you, Sirius, and you're not here...Please, come back..."

\----------------------------------------------------------

Sirius transformed back into himself, and registered the shock on all their faces. They knew who he was - Animagus forms couldn't be faked by Polyjuice Potion, or anything else. Nevertheless, all three men kept their wands trained on him as Sirius slowly approached them. He held his hands up to make sure they knew he wasn't holding his own wand. 

"Who are you?" James growled suspiciously, keeping his wand up.

But Moony was the one who answered that. He lowered his wand, looking intently at the man, who was essentially the double of his mate. "He's Sirius," he said, glancing briefly at his two companions before turning back to Sirius. "I don't understand how this is possible, but I can feel the pull towards him, just as I can towards you, love," he said to Padfoot, who was looking at Sirius in utter confusion.

Sirius nodded. "I can feel it, too. The bond isn't nearly as strong as it is between me and my Remus, but it is there. Listen, I came here to speak with Professor Dumbledore," he said calmly. "I'll do my best to explain how I came to be here, though I'm not exactly sure I understand it all myself. But you'll have to trust me," Sirius added, looking pointedly at James, who still hadn't lowered his wand. James looked to his companions, both of whom nodded.

"I think we can trust him, Prongs," said Padfoot, as he overcame his shock at seeing another, if more battered version of himself. James nodded and lowered his wand.

"All right," he said. "Let's go see Dumbledore. I've got a sneaking suspicion that your sudden appearance might have somethingto do with why we're here, and the faster we get an explanation from the Headmaster himself, the better, I say." At that, the four men made their way into the castle, James still keeping a wary eye on Sirius.


	3. Stupid things Sirius has done

Chapter Three

Sirius and his three companions walked through the halls of Hogwarts in silence, but he could tell that James was still slightly suspicious of him. Not that he could blame him. After all, he probably wouldn’t have been nearly so calm if someone had shown up at his old school looking like a carbon copy of his best friend. But then, the James Potter of his world was dead, so suspicion in that situation was perfectly understandable.

As they approached the Headmaster’s office, Sirius was having a hard time not keeping from staring at Moony. He looked so much happier, so much healthier than the Remus of his own world that it made Sirius’ heart ache. Sirius wondered once again how his Remus was faring. He missed his mate so much it hurt. Sirius forced his thoughts away from Remus and the events that could be taking place in his world at the moment, knowing that they wouldn’t help the situation. When they finally stood outside the gargoyle leading to Dumbledore’s office, James, who had been told the password by the Headmaster before he’d arrived, muttered, “Pixie Sticks.” The four men hurried up the winding staircase, wondering what Dumbledore would have to say about the current situation. Moony knocked on the door when they reached the top, before entering the room, followed by the others.

Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, examining something that looked oddly like a pensieve, except that it was square, instead of bowl-shaped. He looked up as the men entered his office. “Ah, James, Sirius, Remus, I’m glad you could come on such short notice. Something odd has happened in Hogsmeade, and I was wondering if you three would…” The Headmaster trailed off as he finally noticed his other guest. He smiled. “Never mind, then. I see you’ve already found him.”

The others looked at him in confusion. Sirius spoke up after a moment of silence. “Sir, you knew I was going to be here? How?”

Dumbledore’s smiled widened, and the ever-present twinkle in his eyes brightened. “The answer to that is quite simple. This device I have here,” he said, indicating the strange object he’d been handling earlier, “is a rather ingenious thing I developed several years ago. It allows me to see certain events that are happening in other universes, you see. It does have its limitations, of course. I can only use it at certain times, and even then it will only show me events that are occurring in places where our universe overlaps with another,” he said this as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“What do you mean, our universe overlaps with others? How is that possible?” Padfoot asked, looking just as confused as the rest of them. Well, except for Sirius. He’d never heard of a device that could allow someone to see the events of other universes, but during a visit to a different world, he’d gotten a similar explanation of how travel across universes was possible from another Albus Dumbledore. 

Sirius said, “Unless I’m very much mistaken, there are certain places, like the room with the Veil in it in the Department of Mysteries that are connected an unlimited number of alternate universes. I don’t think anyone knows how they are connected, and very few people even know for certain that alternate universes exist. But from what I understand, if you are present at one of those places of overlap at the right time – or wrong time, depending on how you look at it – it is possible to be pulled to a similar spot in an alternate universe. It is also possible to simply go through something like that Veil at any given time and end up in another universe, as I well know.”

Dumbledore nodded. “Precisely, Mr. Black.”

The others looked astounded. “So, let me get this straight,” James said, looking between Dumbledore and Sirius. “You are the Sirius Black of an alternate universe?”

Padfoot, who was taking this all amazingly well, chuckled lightly. “I think that’s been established, Prongs.”

“Sir, I think I understand what you’re saying,” Moony began, cutting off James’ retort. “What I don’t get is why you wanted us to come. Why do you need us, if you’ve already figured out that Sirius is from a different universe?”

At this, James and Padfoot stopped bickering, and turned their attention back to the Headmaster. Dumbledore paused before answering. He looked directly at Sirius as began to speak slowly. “Centuries ago, some very powerful wizards developed a method of traveling between universes. It was originally used to send people from this universe to another, and then to bring them back. The spell, called _Universitas_ , is very complicated, and requires the aid of the people closest to the one who is attempting the jump between dimensions. I have altered the spell so that we will be able to send you back,” he said, still looking at Sirius. “However, it will be more likely to work if we know about your universe. Obviously, it is quite different from our own,” Dumbledore said, taking in Sirius’ somewhat battered and hardened appearance.

Sirius nodded. “So, after I tell you about my world, will you be able to send me back?”

“Not quite,” Dumbledore said, leaning forward slightly in his seat. “You see, in order for my version of the spell to work properly, we will have to bring someone you are closely connected to in your world here. That will strength the connection to your universe, and allow the both of you to return.”

Sirius wasn’t quite sure he understood, and he could tell from the others’ expressions that they were confused as well. However, he decided that more explanations could wait. “All right, then,” he said, leaning back in his seat and trying to get comfortable. “What do you want to know?”

Dumbledore smiled. “Perhaps it would be best if you started off in your youth.”

Sirius snorted. “What youth? I was raised by a bunch of prejudiced gits who hated my guts. I got beat every time I said something someone in my precious family didn’t like, and even the house-elf was treated better than I was. My brother, Regulus, was nothing but a self-serving little coward who lived to do our parents’ bidding. The first time I was ever really happy was when I went to Hogwarts and got sorted into Gryffindor,” he said bitterly.

Padfoot nodded. “Yeah, that sounds about right. Let me guess, you got a Howler from Mum the next morning, cursing you for being such a disgrace to the House of Black,” he said with equal bitterness.

“Of course,” Sirius said. “But I didn’t give a shit. I was no longer surrounded by people who hated me, and that was all that mattered.”

\------------------------------------------------------------

It took quite a while, but it was eventually determined that the differences between Sirius’ universe and the one he was currently in had occurred after Hogwarts, during the First War with Voldemort. In fact, as far as Sirius could tell, their universes had been the same until about a month before James and Lily’s deaths in his world.

“In this universe,” James said, “we discovered that Peter was the traitor about two or three weeks before we performed the Fidelious Charm.”

“He was sleeping over at my flat, because his house was being renovated,” Moony said, revulsion written all over his pale face. “Sirius and I had just broken up, and so after Sirius moved out, there was plenty of room for Peter to stay there. I came home from work late one night, and found him passed out drunk on the couch. He’d said earlier that he was going out with a few friends of his from work, so I thought nothing of it. Until I caught sight of his left arm, which was hanging off the side of the couch, that is. I saw what looked like some sort of tattoo there, which I thought odd, because I couldn’t remember Peter ever getting a tattoo. So naturally, I took a look at the arm. I was shocked to say the least when I realized it was the Dark Mark. Immediately, I pulled out my wand and put a sleeping spell on Peter so he wouldn’t wake up while I alerted Dumbledore. A few days later, he was put on trial and sentenced to life in Azkaban for being a Death Eater, and for taking part in the torture and murder of the Prewett brothers.”

“Remus and I got back together after that and became life-mates not long after,” Padfoot said, looking at his mate with love in his eyes. “And I became James and Lily’s Secret Keeper. Not long after, Dumbledore found another way to defeat Voldemort. We still had to use Harry, but he wasn’t in any danger. I take it,” he said, seeing the sad look on his counterpart’s face, “that never happened in your universe.”

Sirius sighed. “No, it didn’t. Remus and I did break up, and Peter did move in with him for a while, but we didn’t find out that he was the traitor until it was too late.”

Seeing the puzzled looks on the others’ faces, Sirius continued. “The original plan, once we learned that Voldemort was after James and Lily, was for me to be the Secret Keeper. Unfortunately, I came up with what I thought was a brilliant bluff. I convinced James and Lily to switch to Peter, believing that Voldemort would come after me, and never suspect that they would use a talentless thing like Wormtail. I was even so certain that the plan would work that I also convinced them not to tell anyone we’d switched Secret Keepers, not even Remus or Dumbledore.” Everyone looked at Sirius with sympathy, knowing what was probably coming next.

“About a week later, on Halloween, I went to check on Peter. By this time, he’d gone into hiding, so he no longer lived with Remus. When I got to his house, it was completely empty,” Sirius said, guilt written all over his face. “There was no sign of a struggle, and I could tell that something wasn’t right. So, I set off for Godric’s Hollow, hoping that I was wrong about him. I wasn’t. When I got there, the house was destroyed. I found James and Lily’s bodies-” At this point, Sirius broke off, tears streaming down his face. “They – they didn’t even look dead. But I knew – knew they were. Their eyes- god, their eyes were completely lifeless. It was terrible. I didn’t - I didn’t know what to do. Hagrid had gotten there a few minutes before me, he’d been sent by Dumbledore to fetch Harry.”

“Harry?” James asked, surprise evident in his voice. “How did Harry survive an attack by Voldemort? He was only a baby, he – he should have been - ” He broke off, unable to say that his own son should have been killed by that monster.

“Lily,” Sirius said tonelessly. “She sacrificed herself for Harry. Because she died to protect him, Lily left a magical shield against Voldemort in Harry’s blood. When Voldemort tried to curse Harry, the spell backfired, destroying Voldemort’s body, and leaving Harry with nothing but a scar.”

“So Harry destroyed Voldemort as a baby, when no one else could?” James asked in awe.

“Voldemort wasn’t destroyed,” Sirius said shaking his head. “His body destroyed, along with most of his powers, but he was still around. From what I’ve been told, he was turned into a ghost of sorts, except that he wasn’t dead. He was sort of like a consciousness without a body. It’s difficult to explain. Anyway, I tried to get Hagrid to give Harry to me, as I was his godfather, but he wouldn’t. He’d been sent by Dumbledore to take Harry to the Dursleys.”

At this, James and Padfoot yelled in outrage. “What?” James shouted. “Dumbledore sent my son to live with them? But they hate wizards, and especially me and Lily! How could he do that to Harry?”

“He did it to protect him,” Sirius said. He was beginning to get irritated with all the interruptions. “Dumbledore knew, or at least he suspected, that Voldemort would try to return. He also knew that if Voldemort ever did regain his powers, he would want to kill Harry. Therefore, he sent Harry to live with Lily’s only living blood relatives, because the protection that Harry got from Lily’s blood would extend to that house. While he still lives with Petunia, Harry can’t be touched by Voldemort.”

Before James and Padfoot could say anything else in protest, Moony asked, “So what happened after that? Did you go to Dumbledore and tell him the truth?”

Sirius laughed bitterly at that. “No, I did the third, or maybe fourth, stupidest thing I’ve ever done. Instead of telling anyone what really happened, I went after Peter. And I caught up to him, too. I found him in a street full of Muggles the next morning. Wormtail shouted for all the street to hear that I’d betrayed James and Lily, before cutting off his own finger, and using his wand to blow half the street apart. Then he transformed into a rat and ran down the sewers with the others of his kind. The Ministry officials showed up not long after, to find me holding my wand, surrounded by blood and bodies. Dear old Wormtail,” Sirius said bitterly, “had not only framed me for betraying you and being a spy for Voldemort, but he’d also made it look as though I’d killed him and twelve innocent Muggles. Barty Crouch, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, saw to it that I was sent straight to Azkaban without a trial.”

Sirius looked up to see that the others, even Dumbledore, had stricken expressions on their faces. “After that, a group of Death Eaters, my cousin Bellatrix included, went to the Longbottoms’ house. They seemed to believe that Frank and Alice had information about Voldemort’s whereabouts. So, they tortured them. Into insanity. According to Remus, Frank and Alice are now permanent residents in St. Mungo’s, where their son Neville and Frank’s mother visit them every holiday.”

\------------------------------------------------------------

After several more long and difficult hours, Sirius finally finished his explanation. He hated the looks of sympathy he was getting, even from his own counterpart. Trying to avoid the faces of himself, his mate, and his dead best friend, Sirius looked at Dumbledore.

The aged Headmaster was, inexplicably, smiling once again. “Well, now that that is finished, we should be able to send you back soon enough, Sirius. Of course, we still have to bring someone over from your universe. Who would you like that to be?”

Sirius considered that for a moment. “Well, I’m closest to Remus and Harry. Remus would probably be best, though. After all, I’m bonded to him,” he said.

Dumbledore nodded. “Remus it is, then. It will take a few hours, but I’ll begin the process to get him here immediately. Now, why don’t I send for a house-elf to show you where you’ll be staying while you’re here?”

Sirius nodded his agreement, but the others said they all needed to return home. However, they all promised to come back in the morning, in time to meet the Remus of Sirius’ world. James even promised to bring Lily.

As Sirius followed the house-elf Dumbledore had summoned to the room he would be staying in, he could hardly resist running through the halls and jumping for joy. Not only would he be going back to his own world in a few days, but he’d also be able to see his Remus soon! He couldn’t wait to be able to hold his beautiful mate in his arms once again.


	4. Troubles with Snape, and a happy reunion

Chapter Four

The Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione had all gone to visit some of Arthur’s relatives in Scotland for the week, and the other Order members had returned to their own homes for the time being, so Remus was left alone at Grimmauld Place. Remus groaned as he got up from the kitchen table where he’d been working, hearing the doorbell ringing.He struggled up from the chair, wondering who on earth would be coming here at two in the morning.

Remus rubbed his lower back gently with his left hand as he made his way out of the kitchen. Ithad been hurting all day long, and he had no idea why. Now, after having spent several hours sitting in an uncomfortable chair, it was more painful than ever. Remus decided it must be because the full moon was barely three days away. As he reached the entrance hall, Remus put a silencing charm on Mrs. Black’s portrait, to stop her screeching.

When he pulled open the heavy front door, Remus was confronted with the sight of a scowling Severus Snape. It was raining outside, so Remus stepped aside to let the Potions Master in. “Hello, Severus. How are you? Can I get you some tea?” Remus asked with false cheer.

“Cut the crap, Lupin. I’ve just come to pick up a few reports for Dumbledore and give you your potion,” Snape said, snarling slightly. He followed Remus into the kitchen. Snape watched as the shorter man went about making a pot of tea. He could tell that Lupin was still grieving for Black, though Snape didn’t know why. Sure, he knew they’d been lovers, and eventually mates, but he didn’t understand how anyone could possibly feel so bad about that idiot’s death. Granted, Snape couldn’t say that he’d actually wanted the man to die, but he wasn’t all that upset about it either. He also couldn’t understand how in the world Black had gotten Lupin to fall in love with him. In Snape’s opinion, Lupin was too good for Black. But then, Snape had lusted after Remus since he was fifteen. The fact that Lupin and Black had started dating at about the same time he realized his feelings for the werewolf had only made Snape hate Black even more.

Snape collected the papers that had been left on the table as he waited for Lupin to finish with the tea. A few minutes later, the other man returned to the table, carrying two cups of tea.

They sat in silence for a while, each taking occasional sips, before Snape did something he'd been dying todo for a long time. He reached across the table and took Remus' hand in his, while pulling out theWolfsbane potion. Remus looked up from his tea, surprised atthe contact.

"I've got your potion," Snape said again.

Remus took his hand back gently, and reached for the potion, saying, "Thank you. I can'ttell you how much I-"

"I'll give it to you," Snape interrupted,as he stood up and crossed to Remus' side of thetable. "But only on one condition."

"What sort of'condition'?" Remus asked warily. He didn't fail to notice the almost predatorygleem in Snapes eyes.

"You know how I feel about you, Remus," Snape said, genlty touching Remus' face. "I think you know what I want."

Remus stood up and backed away, saying, "Severus, I-"

"Black is dead, Lupin," Snape said harshly. "Don't try and say you can't let me fuck you, because you can."

"Sirius may be dead," Remus responded. "But he's still my mate! I'm not going to betray his memory by sleeping with someone - anyone - just because he isn't here!" He continued toput distance between himself andSnape, pulling out his wand as he went.

"If you don't," Snape snarled, as he to took out his wand, "you won't be getting your potion. Think how it'll be Lupin. Your first full moon in years without it, and just after your mate's death. You don't want to go through unnecessary pain, do you? I'm sure dear Sirius wouldn't want that."

"I'm not sleeping with you just to get a potion, Snape! Sirius wouldn't want me to do that, either." Remus said, his breathing heavy.

Suddenly, Snape shot a curse at Lupin that threw him to the floor. He droppedhis wand as he hit the ground with a thud. In an instant Snape was on him, trying to get his clothes off as Remus struggled. He managed to get Remus' shirt unbuttoned before the entire house started to shake.

Snape paused in his actions, wondering what was going on. It felt like an earthquake almost, except something wasn't right. Remus took advantage of Snape's inattention, and threw the other man off of him. Standing up, Remus grabbed his wand before the kitchen was filled with a blinding bright light. As the light faded, Remus disappeared.

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Remus reappeared seconds later in another part of the house. Looking around, he realized that he was in the drawing room. But something wasn't right. The room was filthy. It looked as though no one had been inside it in years, which didn't make any sense at all. Remus inspected the room closely, and noticed that the topdrawer in the desk was shaking, as it had done before they'd taken care of that Boggart. It was almost as if the Order had never even been there. Remus decided to take a look at the rest of the house, though he had a feeling it wouldn't be much different. 

A few hours later, Remus knew he was right. This was Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, the house Sirius had grown up in until the day he ran away. But it clearly was not the house the Order had used as Headquarters for over a year. Deciding that the best place to go for answers was Hogwarts, the werewolf made his way into the kitchen. He used his wand to start a fire before taking what little floo powder there was in the pot beside the fireplace and tossing it into the flames. As they turned a bright green, Remus yelled, "Hogwarts, Headmaster's office!" and stepped into the flames.

After nearly a minute of spinning around, Remus stumbled out of the fireplace in Professor Dumbledore's office. He struggled to his feet, saying, "Headmaster, something-" But he broke off immediately when he saw who was sitting in the chair in front of Professor Dumbledore's desk. Remus barely registered seeing the others in the room turn to stare at him, before falling to the ground in a faint.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sirius sighed as he crawled into the large, comfortable bed in the set of rooms he'd been given. It had been weeks since he'd slept in a real bed, though it felt like longer. He hoped that whatever it was Dumbledore planned to do to get Remus here worked. He wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to go without so much as seeing his Remus. Sirius wished he could be with his beloved werewolf right now, for the simple reason that his favorite place in the world was wherever Remus happened to be. Closing his eyes, Sirius felt sleep take him almost immediately. 

What felt like only seconds later, Sirius was woken up by a harsh knock on his door. He looked at the clock that had been placed beside his bed and saw that it was just after three in the morning. Grumbling, Sirius threw himself back into bed, hoping that if he just ignored whoever was pounding on the door, they would go away. Trying to recover the wonderful dream he'd been having about his Remus prooved fruitless, and the pounding on the door didn't cease, so Sirius stumbled out of bed and threw on the bathrobe he'd used earlier - he slept in the nude, and didn't think whoever was at the door would appreciate seeing him like that. Before he could reach the door, however, it flew open on its own.

In the doorway stood a very angry Severus Snape.The Headmaster hadinformed the staff about theidentity of their current guest, and Snape wasn't happy aboutit. One Black was bad enough, but two? Snape didn't knowhow he'd be able to stand it. Not bothering with any greatings, Snape snarled at him, "Dumbledore wants to speak with you in his office, Black. But I suggest you change before you go,"he added,eying the pink bathrobe with a sneer.

Ignoring that, Sirius asked, "Did he say what he wanted?"

"No." Snape said, before leaving.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few minutes later, Sirius was standing inside the Headmaster's office, waiting for Professor Dumbledore to explain why he'd been woken up bythe sight ofSeverus Snape so early in the morning.

"Thank you for coming, Sirius." The old man said, as he gestured for Sirius to take a seat. "I know it is unusually early."

Sirius snorted.

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "However, I have some news for you that I'm sure will make getting up so early quite worth it."

"What news?" Sirius asked, leaning forward with interest. What could have happened since the last time he'd spoken with the Headmaster that was so important for him to be up so early? He could only think of one thing, but Sirius knew from experience that it was best not to get your hopes up. But still, he couldn't help hoping that Dumbledore was about to tell him that his Remus was here right now.

The Professor's smile covered his entire face, and his eyes began to twinkle more than ever. "I told you earlier that I was going to attempt to bring the Remus Lupin from your universe to this one, correct?"

Sirius nodded, his eyes gleaming with hope. "And...?" He prompted.

"I expected the process to take much longer than it did, but nonetheless, it worked," Dumbledore said. "Your Remus Lupin is now here, at Hogwarts."

"YES!" Sirius shouted, jumping up from his chair in his excitement. "Where is he! Can I see him?"

"You will be able to see him soon enough," the white-haired man said with a small chuckle. "However, there is something I must tell you first. He is currently in the Hospital Wing being examined by Madame Pomfrey-"

"What? What's wrong with him?" Sirius asked, now incredibly worried.

"We're not sure there's anything wrong, but he fainted as soon as he flooed to my office," Dumbledore said.

"Passed out?" Sirius asked.

"Yes," Dumbledore said in confirmation. "Please, calm down, Sirius. I'm sure that Remus is fine."

Sirius nodded and returned to his seat. "So, when can I see him?" He asked again.

"I asked Madame Pomfrey to inform me as soon as he wakes up," Dumbledore said, leaning back in his seat. "I would like to explain the current situation to Remus, before you see him, however."

Seeing that Sirius was about to protest, Dumbledore raised a hand and said, "Sirius, you must not forget that as far as he knows, you are dead. Even with the mating bond, Remus is likely to believe that you are a Death Eater, sent to trick him. As soon as I have finished explaining everything, I will bring you into the room."

As much as he hated to admit it, Sirius had to concede that the man was right. Remus wasn't so foolish that he would see someone who looked exactly like his supposedly dead mate, and naturally assume that it was real. "Okay," Sirius said with a sigh. Before he could say anything more, however, there was a light knock on the door. Seconds later, it opened to reveal the same house-elf Sirius had seen earlier.

He bowed to both wizards before saying to Professor Dumbledore, "Begging your pardon, sir, but Madame Pomfrey asked Dinky to inform you that her patient is awake."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Remus looked blankly around the Hospital Ward, trying to remember how he'd gotten here. Like a flash, it all came back to him. The encounter with Snape at Grimmauld Place, suddenly disappearing and then reappearing in a house that both was and wasn't Grimmauld Place, and flooing to Hogwarts. He froze when he remembered who had been in the office with Dumbledore - Snape. Remus didn't know how he'd gotten to Hogwarts before him, but decided that he didn't care. Just so long as he didn't have to deal with the man who'd tried to rape him, Remus was okay. He couldn't help wishing that Siris were here. Padfoot would have killed Snape for trying to do what he did.

His thoughts were interrupted by Madame Pomfrey, as she saw that he was awake and came hurrying over. He greated her politely, not particularly in the mood for a conversation. The nurse peformed a few tests on him with various spells, them went off muttering to herself when she saw what the results were. Remus frowned in confusion. Why didn't she tell him why he was here?

A few minutes later, Professor Dumbledore stepped into the ward. The man was smiling, his eyes twinkling madly as usual. "Hello, Remus. How are you?"

Remus raised an eyebrow. There was something off about this man..."As well as I can be, I suppose," he said with a sad look on his face.

"I understand," Dumbledore said with a nod. "I believe you came here to ask me something?"

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"Well, now," Dumbledore said as he stood up. He'd just finished explaining to Remus about how he was in an alternate universe, and that he himself had brought the werewolf here. "I think that's it. Oh, wait. I just remembered something that is rather crucial actually...don't know how I forgot that part, as it's the reason I brought you here in the first place..."

"Sir?" Remus said, trying to bring the other man out of the trance-like state he'd fallen into. "Sir, what else is there to tell me? Why did you bring me here?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Well, to be honest, I think it would be best to let someone else explain it to you. But, I must warn you before I send him in - he is exactly who he appears to be. It may seen difficult to believe, but trust me, Remus the man I am about to bring in here is absolutely real. And, more importantly, he's also from your universe." And without offering any more explanation, Dumbledore left.

Now Remus was really confused. It was hard enough to believe that he was in an alternate universe - he wasn't sure he would have believed it, if Albus hadn't shown him several wedding pictures of the Headmaster and Professor Sprout that had been taken three years ago. Remus knew with absolute certainty that the Albus Dumbledore of his universe wasn't married to anyone, much less the Herbology teacher. But who could Dumbledore be talking about? He knew who he wanted it to be, of course, and if what the Headmaster had said about the Veil was true, then it had to be him. However, Remus didn't dare to get his hopes up - he was certain that they would only be crushed as they were every morning when he woke up alone.

Remus looked up as he heard footsteps coming down the ward. He couldn't believe it. This can't be real, he thought, it just can't be him! Sirius is dead! But then, Remus remembered what the Headmaster had just told him. He searched inside himself, and felt the bond of a mate once again.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sirius waited impatiently outside the Hospital Wing for what felt like hours, beforethedoorsfinally opened to reveal the aged Headmaster. He jumped forward from his spot against the wall. "Well? Is he all right? Can I go in?" Sirius promptly questioned the man.

"He seems to be physically all right. But Madame Pomfrey hasn't informed me of the results of her tests, so I still don't know exactly what she seems to think is wrong," Dumbledore said, smiling at Sirius' enthusiasm. "And I have explained everything to him - except how you came to be here. I thought he would rather hear it from you, Sirius."

"So I can go see him?" Sirius asked, his eyes lighting up.

Dumbledore nodded, saying, "Yes, but I would go slow. Give him time to accept that you are who you appear to be."

Sirius nodded before pulling open the door to the Hospital Wing and bounding inside, a spring in his step that hadn't been there for ages. He spotted Remus immediately in the bed at the far end of the ward. Slowing down as Dumbledore had instructed, Sirius approached his mate with as much calm as he could muster. It was difficult - Sirius really wanted to pull his beautiful lover into his arms and never let him go.

Sirius froze as Remus looked up, hearing his approach. Pain shot through him at the look of disbelief and then anger that flashed across Remus' face. For a second, Sirius worried that Remus would think this was all an elaborate hoax, despite what the Headmaster had told him. But then the werewolf smiled his amazing smile, his entire face lighting up as he said in awe, "Sirius!"

The Animagus grinned as he hurried over to his mate's side. He immediately swept his werewolf into his arms, burying his face in the crook of Remus' pale neck. "God, I've missed you, Moony. I love you so much..." Sirius breathed.

Remus wrapped his arms around Sirius' neck and whispered, "I can't believe it...I thought you were dead...But you're real..." He could feel tears coming to his eyes, and for once, didn't bother to stop them.

Sirius slid them back onto the bed, Remus sitting in his lap cradled against his chest. "Yes I am real, love. And I'll never leave you again, I promise. I don't plan on ever letting you go," he said, rubbing circles on Remus' back.


	5. What kind of test is that?

Chapter Five

Later that afternoon, Remus was woken up by the sound of distant voices, voices that sounded oddly familiar. However, before he had time to wonder who it was, Remus realized that although he was still in his bed in the Hospital Wing, he was now being cradled against someone’s chest, that someone’s arms wrapped protectively around him. Turning slowing in the warm embrace, Remus was grinned as he saw that it was Sirius who was next to him in bed. Not that he’d expected anyone else, really, but it was still difficult for him to accept that this wasn’t a dream.

“Morning, love,” Sirius murmured. Remus started, not having noticed that the other man was awake. He smiled happily.

“Sirius,” Remus said with a chuckle, “It’s afternoon, you twit.”

“Mmm, so it is,” Sirius said, ignoring the last part as he pulled his lover closer to him and gave him a light kiss on the lips before sitting up. “Who’s that talking?”

“Dumbledore and a couple of other people, I think. Can’t tell who, though.” Before they had time to ponder the question any further, Madame Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore stepped out of the nurse’s office, and seeing that they were awake, approached Remus’ bed. Pomfrey looked as though she throwing Sirius out of her ward for disturbing her patient but refrained at a look from Professor Dumbledore. “Hello, Albus, Poppy. Is something wrong?” Remus asked, noticing the odd look on the nurse’s face.

“Not precisely, Remus. Madame Pomfrey is finished with her tests, and is glad to say that there is nothing wrong with you,” Dumbledore said with an amused twinkle in his eye. However, Sirius could tell that there was more to it than that.

“However,” the nurse said, seeing Remus about to get out of the bed. “There is one last test that I would like to perform. I have my suspicions about why you fainted earlier, and I just want to confirm them.”

Remus glanced at Sirius, before nodding. “Okay. Do whatever you need to do,” he told her.

Pomfrey stepped up to the bedside, her wand pointed directly at Remus’ abdomen. She muttered a spell that Remus couldn’t understand, and a jet of white light shot out of her wand towards him. Sirius wrapped his arms back around his mate, as Remus’ abdomen began to glow, first white, then changing to blue, then pink, and once more flashing to blue before finally fading away. Both men looked up at her curiously and neither missed the looks of open amusement she and Professor Dumbledore now wore.

“Um, what was that?” Remus asked, a bit nervously.

“Oh, nothing dear.” Madame Pomfrey said, her voice practically ringing with laughter. “Just a little pregnancy test.”

Sirius’ eyes bulged, and he knew that Remus was wearing the same shocked expression as him. “Pregnancy test? But why would Remus need a – a pregnancy test? He’s a guy! Men can’t get pregnant! Right?” He said, looking at Remus a bit uncertainly. He looked just as flabbergasted as Sirius was.

Madame Pomfrey smiled in amusement, still trying to hold in her laughter. “Well, for most men that is the truth. However, male werewolves can in fact become pregnant, Mr. Black. It is incredibly rare, so I’m not really surprised you didn’t know, but believe me, it is very much true.”

“So, am I pregnant?” Remus asked faintly.

The nurse’s smile widened, as did Professor Dumbledore’s. “Yes, you are Mr. Lupin. You are currently two months along, with triplets, in fact. I can even tell you the genders, if you want to know,” She said, looking between the two men on the bed.

Remus turned to look at Sirius, the question evident in his eyes. Sirius thought for a moment, still trying to accept the fact that his mate was pregnant. “Well, we’ve never exactly talked about having kids before, but it doesn’t sound like such a bad idea. I mean, it isn’t as if we don’t have a large enough place to live, already. And I’m sure Molly would be more than glad to give us any help. Besides,” he said with a slight grin, “it isn’t as if we’ve never taken care of infants before. We certainly had plenty of experience with Harry.”

“You’re right, I suppose,” Remus said, smiling slightly. “But what about Voldemort? He’s not exactly going to go away any time soon, you know. And we can’t forget about the fact that the Ministry is still after you, love,” he said in concern.

“Remus, didn’t you listen to what Dumbledore told you yesterday?” Sirius asked, glancing at the venerable Headmaster before turning his attention back to the man in his arms. “He found away to defeat Voldemort years ago. He’s already said that he would be willing to give us the method, so that our Dumbledore can perform it as well. And with Voldemort gone, it won’t be too difficult to catch Wormtail. Then the Ministry will have to pardon me.” He looked closer at Remus. “Do you want to have kids, love?”

Remus paused for a moment, taking in everything Sirius had told him. Then he slowly began to smile. “Yes,” he said with a small nod. “I suppose I do want to. So what are their genders?” He asked, turning back to face Madame Pomfrey.

“Two boys and a girl,” She said, smiling happily. “And they’re all very healthy. Now, if you’ve got any questions, I’d be more than happy to answer them.”

“Thank you,” Sirius said. “I was wondering. What happens on the full moon?”

“Well, obviously, Mr. Lupin has already experienced one full moon without any adverse effects on the embryos. For the moment, the babies are not developed enough to be endangered by the transformation. However, as he gets farther along in the pregnancy, the wolf will become more dormant. Which means that once he enters his fifth month, he will not transform until the second full moon after the babies are born,” Madame Pomfrey said with a smile.

“Why the second?” Sirius asked, and he smiled when he saw the look of wonder on Remus’ beautiful face. He would be able to experience a full moon without transforming for the first time since he could remember.

“Because the wolf will still be weak for a while after the births.” She said. “Anything else?”

“Yes,” Remus said, blushing slightly. “How exactly am I supposed to actually give birth?”

“It’s quite simple, really,” Madame Pomfrey said, as Professor Dumbledore took a seat to the right of his bed. “About two weeks before the babies are born, you will begin to grow the necessary body parts for childbirth. You already have a womb, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Remus muttered wryly, as Sirius gave him a light kiss on the neck. “Is there a chance that they will be werewolves?”

Remus and Sirius were both very much relieved when Madame Pomfrey shook her head. “No, there isn’t. However, they will have a bit of werewolf in them. That means that although they won’t transform, and certainly won’t be a danger to anyone else, they will have certain physical characteristics common to werewolves who are in their human forms.”

Remus nodded in understanding. “You mean they’ll have look like werewolves do in our human forms?”

“Precisely. Not only that, but they may also have some of the improved strength, hearing, eyesight, and sense of smell that you have. Most importantly, because your wolf form will see them as his ‘cubs’ you won’t be a danger to them, even without any Wolfsbane Potion.”

“That’s great!” Sirius said with a smile. Remus nodded. “I don’t think we have any more questions, do you, love?”

“No, I can’t think of anything else,” Remus said.

Madame Pomfrey nodded and said, “Well if you do, don’t hesitate to ask.” Then she turned and walked back to her office.

As she left, Professor Dumbledore stood up and said, “Well, congratulations you two. I believe you will make wonderful parents.”

“Thank you sir,” Remus said, and both men beamed happily.

Dumbledore nodded in acknowledgement. “However, before we begin celebrating, I believe there are a few people you might want to meet. It will be a while yet before I’ll be ready to send you back to your own universe, so I thought you might enjoy the chance to converse with a few friends in this world,” he said, before walking back towards the end of the ward, presumable to get whoever it was he was talking about.

Remus turned to Sirius in confusion. “Sirius? Do you have any idea what he’s talking about?”

“I think so,” Sirius said with a smirk. “If I’m not mistaken, he’s gone to get our counterparts from this world, whom I’ve already met, along with a few others.”

“Like who?” Remus asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sirius didn’t say anything, choosing instead to simply nod in the direction of the entrance to the Hospital Wing, where four figures were now approaching them. Remus looked, and went pale with shock. Not only did he see himself and Sirius coming towards them, but also two other adults who were undoubtedly James and Lily Potter.


End file.
